A View From the Roost: Bruins 11/7

No sign tonight, got inside too late. It was a kooky night overall, the escalator to the 300s on the left side of the atrium died and security actually stopped people from using it. It was the first time in my life I’ve seen an escalator unusable, usually a broken escalator just becomes a flight of stairs, but what do I know?

Just a few thoughts on the game:

– A little kid in the 100s had an amazing sign tonight. It said “MAX ROCKS” but the “R”, “C”, and “K” were very curvy and read more like “MAX BOOBS”. The thing is, they showed it on the Jumbotron twice. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen at a Sabres game, and I wasn’t the only one in my section to notice it. Please, if you saw this let me know. We need to get that sign on camera as often as possible.

– Sekera=Balls. I don’t know how many times he’s reversed the puck to no one along the boards, but I’d like to see less of that. Jaro, come back buddy. I miss your pumpkin head.

– Tallinder played a very bad game tonight. I’m usually one of his biggest fans, but he looked sluggish and sloppy the whole night.He almost tipped a puck going way wide into the net, and his lead passes were mediocre at best. Overall the D makes me nervous at all times. I don’t agree with keeping Hank and Captain Finland together while the rest of the D is in shambles (Paetsch and Weber, anyone?) but after tonight I don’t think it will make much of a difference.

– Speaking of captains, Goose was a beast tonight. I’ve always thought he should wear the C, and tonight was one of his classic performances. He was aggressive, a monster on the PK, and one of the few Sabres that looked like he was moving at all times. I really hope he continues to impress and we can finally put this Flavor of the Month system to rest. (If you remember, it took until December to pick a permanent C the last time we did this. Hrm…)

– I’m with Lindy when he says he feels bad for Vanek. He is pressing so hard, and you can see it in his game. After every mistake he shows a level of frustration I’ve never seen from him, and you can tell he wants to perform so badly. Him slamming his stick against the bench boards after that point pass to no one sums up everything he’s been this year, and something has to give.

I think we have to be reminded that he didn’t give himself that Offer Sheet. He may be overpaid, but it is certainly not his fault. Anyone who doesn’t sign that sheet is out of their mind. Vanek is going through a major time in his life: superstar contract, new child, and the expectations of an entire country. Things like that can weigh heavy on a kid. Throw in the fact that with every mistake fans call him the “10 million dollar man” and it’s enough to make push just a bit too hard.

I am certainly not saying you shouldn’t be upset with the kid, but I feel like you have to take a step back and sympathize with him. Behind all those bad passes and F bombs is some real effort, and eventually he will turn the corner. I can’t wait till he does.

– The Sabres overall need to turn that corner. Tonight’s win was an ugly, broken game, but one that ended up getting us two points. If we have to play like this to win games, so be it. I don’t think that will be the case, but tonight once again showed promise. Maybe Clarke’s bullet from the slot can be the fulcrum point this team needs to get rolling.

2 Comments

A little kid in the 100s had an amazing sign tonight. It said “MAX ROCKS” but the “R”, “C”, and “K” were very curvy and read more like “MAX BOOBS”.

My friend saw this sign on the jumbotron and practically freaked out trying to get us to look at it before they panned somewhere else. We talked about Max’s boobs the rest of the night. It was far more entertaining than much of the game.

I totally agree with your assessment of Vanek. He’s clearly pressing way too hard. I have no doubt that he wants to be playing better than he is and just can’t quite pull it together.